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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC00071 |
| From Archive Folder | Documents Relating to 1856 |
| Title | Appointment of John Geary as governor of the territory of Kansas |
| Date | 31 July 1856 |
| Author | Pierce, Franklin (1804-1869) |
| Additional authors | Marcy, William Learned (1786-1857) |
| Document Type | Government document |
| Content Description | Partially printed document signed by Pierce as President of the United States. Countersigned by William L. Marcy as Secretary of State. With seal. |
| Subjects | African American History Westward Expansion President Bleeding Kansas Slavery Politics |
| People | Pierce, Franklin (1804-1869) Marcy, William Learned (1786-1857) Geary, John White (1819-1873) |
| Place written | Washington, D.C. |
| Theme | Westward Expansion; Government & Politics; The Presidency |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1493-1859 |
| Additional Information | Geary replaced Wilson Shannon as governor of the Kansas territory. He disbanded the militia but did not get enough federal troops, and so resigned on 4 March 1857. In San Francisco from 1849 to 1852, Geary was the first U.S. postmaster, the last alcalde (a mayor having judicial powers), and the first mayor. President Franklin Pierce appointed him governor of “bleeding” Kansas in July, 1856. In the Civil War, Geary was made a brigadier general of volunteers in Apr., 1862. He was wounded at Cedar Mt. (1862), commanded a division of the Army of the Potomac at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg (1863), distinguished himself under Joseph Hooker in the Chattanooga campaign (1864), and fought in W. T. Sherman's campaigns (1864–65). He was made major general of volunteers in Jan., 1865. Geary was elected governor of Pennsylvania in 1866 and held that office until shortly before his death. [excerpted from Columbia Encyclopedia] |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |
| Related documents | Letter from Franklin Pierce to John W. Geary about how to deal with the pro-slavery faction in Kansas |